Rahway High School Water Champions Appear in National Trade Magazine

RAHWAY — Rahway Water Champions, members of Rahway High School’s Social Action Club sponsored by faculty member Elizabeth Graner-Jotz, recently appeared in Contractor magazine, read by over 50 thousand owners and managers of firms in plumbing, heating businesses engaged in construction and renovation, both residential and commercial.

The article about the Rahway Water Champions entitled “Retrofits will save 1.6 million gallons of water” explains how the members conducted an audit of water usage in school bathrooms and found that the school could save massive amounts of water and money by installing new water-saving fixtures. Water savings were 63% for toilets, 46% for faucets and 95% for urinals.

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The Water Champions worked with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program and the New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors. This past July, these young women gave a presentation on what they had discovered to school officials, American Standard executives, the Rahway school board, and representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and Rutgers University this July.

Their efforts led American Standard to donate $60,000 in new fixtures to the school. “The efforts of these students coincide well with American Standard’s goal to educate consumers that water conservation can and does begin at home — and at school,” said Don Devine, president and chief executive officer of American Standard Brands. “As a New Jersey employer, we are pleased to help a new generation learn the science of sustainable buildings.”

The Rahway Water Champions plan to continue to help raise awareness in their community about ways to save water and will be conducting audits at three local businesses. One member, Emera de los Santos, also recently served a junior internship at the NJDEP.

Rahway Water Champions present water audit to school officials, American Standard executives, the Rahway school board, and representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and Rutgers University